from a caterpillar to a butterfly

  “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle”. A quote by Albert Einstein one of the greatest scientific minds known to humanity. Which one is yours? It was just another Monday. As the evening stretched by my excitement was soaring high. As I was cooking dinner, I kept peeking at my inbox. As I got the kids ready for night, I kept checking my mail. While I was talking to my loved ones, every notification would make me pause. And finally, it hit my inbox, the much-awaited mail from my mentor, reviewing my last week’s work and giving me new task for the week. Something that always add a fun and growth element into my life. This week the task was to watch a movie and write my experience. I had until Sunday to complete it. Movies to me are a source of entertainment. My escape from my reality into an idealistic world of happily every after. I was super excited to watch this one, as the title had a wor...

Sitting, listening in a class, Fidgety I get. A sense of restlessness, I cannot comprehend. And then I hear a whisper of words, I take a deep breath and try to focus. Playing with my children, I feel my hands twitching, To pick up the mobile, And browse Instagram. And then I hear a whisper of words, I take a deep breath and try to focus. Talking to a loved one over the phone, Listening yet not listening, I keep thinking, Of what’s next. And then I hear a whisper of words, I take a deep breath and try to focus. Don’t we all do this? Physically in a place, But mentally elsewhere? Body doing a thing, While the mind, Thinking an entirely different thing. It is here I hear a whisper of words, Of my Guru nudging me to be, To be present in the moment, To be living in the moment, To be experiencing the moment, To be aware of the moment. And I take a deep breath, Willing my mind back to my body, Wanting to be aware, Wanting to be fully there, To experience life, Moment after moment, to its full...

  I am a dry leaf. I will be tossed by the wind,  scorched by the sun,  drenched by the rain, but I will flow, for I am a dry leaf… which sings to the music of the world,  which dances to the tunes of nature, for I am a dry leaf... as light as a feather or  even lighter! I am a dry leaf… playing to the tunes of the creator, dancing to the beat of life,  flying at times, rolling at times, caught in the mischief of the wind! Ah!! I am a dry leaf… I have no tension,  no sorrows,  no stress,  no problems,  no challenges,  no depressions,  no worries,  no anxiety,  no questions, about tomorrow, about yesterday, about present, about past, about future, about people, about anything, about everything, about nothing, about myself, about life. I don’t think.. I don’t have to… I am taken care... Hugged by the air..  kissed by the dew drops…  caressed by mother earth… Oh! How much I am loved by all for, I am a dry leaf!...

  In His presence, In His embrace, In His wisdom, In His energy, In His silence, Drenched, Soaked, Awakened  & Reborn. Entrainment 23, a celebration of ... My year-long wait ended on the first week of September 2023. I could finally see, experience and hug my living guru, Mahatria, in the residential retreat, Entrainment 23. My preparation for the retreat was filled with exhilarating anticipation and excitement. There was a skip in my walk, rhythm in my lips, dance in my body and music in my heart as I waited for ‘the’ day.  The experiences I was blessed with in the retreat were beyond anything I could have ever experienced. It was refreshing, intellectual, introspective, emotional, transforming and soul-stirring.  He always leaves me in awe.  How does one simplify such complex spiritual truth?  How does one make spiritual wisdom so relatable to day-to-day life?  How does one think and equip us ten steps ahead when we don’t even know where we are w...

  I looked at the picture and words flowed, Little did I know he wished it so, My better half’s first trek experience through my eyes. The Mountains It is as mighty as it seems, It is as breathtaking at it seems, It is as pristine as it seems, It looks formidable, It looks inviting, And when you set forth to explore it, What awaits you is nothing you can see. Is it its scintillating view that are wallpaper worth photographs? Or its awe-inspiring presence that makes each moment a poetry? Is it the valleys, the lakes, the boulders, the snow, the waterfall or the passes? Anything and everything the eyes see become a cherishable memory. Yet the gift of the mountain is something way more subtle. Experience after experience, You are forged, You are tempered, You are renewed and  You are reborn. It takes you to the brink of despair, And retrieves you through your resolve. It pushes you to your limits, And cradles you back with your resilience. It reveals your worst fear, And strength...

  It was a holiday, and the day started lazily. The harsh summer heat was toned down by a sudden morning shower. The weather also seemed to play along with my leisure mood, bringing its cool and pleasant face, a rarity in May. My kitchen, usually a hot furnace, seemed cool and welcoming today. It put me in a perfect mood, and I set out to cook something special.  Pav Bhaji, a street food from the financial capital of India, Mumbai, consists of thick vegetable gravy (Bhaji) served with a soft bread roll (Pav). I started the cooking process of the Bhaji. On the stove went in a pressure cooker with vegetables and a Kadai with onion and spices. The aroma of the spices filled the house. I kept adding one ingredient after the other in the kadai, watching the pressure cooker for any sign of pressure release. It seemed to take forever. It was stubborn and showed no sign of whistling, even under maximum heat. It got me thinking that no matter what we do, every dish has a cooking time t...